Heartfelt messages amid clash over Birmingham youth centres

The crisis-hit council, which effectively declared itself bankrupt back in 2023, has reviewed the service in an attempt to make savings and wants to offload four centres to a third-party provider.

They are Clifton Road Youth Centre in Sutton Coldfield, Naseby Youth Centre in Alum Rock, Maypole Youth Centre in Druids Heath and Lozells Recreation Group.

The Labour-run authority wants to retain ownership of four others – Shard End Youth Centre, The Factory in Longbridge, The Lighthouse in Aston and Concord Youth Centre.

Such centres are safe spaces which provide advice, skills and social opportunities, and have often been described as vital lifelines in a city with a particularly young population.

Two Green Party councillors recently requested a ‘call-in’ of the council cabinet’s decision on the youth service in a bid to get it looked at again, arguing that youth centres were being put “at risk”.

“If no partner organisation is found, then these youth centres will close,” Green councillor Julien Pritchard claimed. “That’s an incredible risk to be taking with young people’s futures and our communities.”

The ‘call-in’ request was considered at a council meeting last Friday, where Councillor Pritchard stressed how important Maypole Youth Centre was for his ward of Druids Heath and read out letters from some of the people it supports.

One young person who has attended Maypole wrote: “If my youth centre wasn’t there, I would no longer have a safe space to go where I can speak freely and feel listened to.

“Please support my youth centre and others in this hard time.”

“For the longest time [Maypole Youth Centre] has felt like a second home,” another letter read. “Each time I come, I have a welcoming smile and every youth worker is like family.”

“They are trustworthy, kind, funny and always there. Maypole holds a special place in my heart.

“If Maypole closes, think of the people whose journeys there are yet to come, the people who devote their lives to people like me.”

“During my time [at Maypole] I’ve been able to do a variety of things I otherwise would not have the opportunity to do,” a third young person wrote.

“My youth centre is important to me as it gives me the opportunity to speak to new people and figure out things.”

During the meeting, Councillor Pritchard also pointed out that Maypole Youth Centre is scheduled to be demolished in the future as part of the huge regeneration plans for Druids Heath.

“Who is realistically going to take on a youth centre for two or three years from the council?” he asked.

“In my view, the youth centre should not only be staying open for the next two or three years before things start getting demolished in Druids Heath but it should be staying open until any new youth facilities are ready.

“We’re a long way from that.”

“I feel there is a big risk they would close,” Councillor Pritchard added about the four centres the council wants to offload. “If we lose them, it’s going to be incredibly controversial.”

‘Only viable option’

Amid such fears, Councillor Mick Brown, the Labour cabinet member for children and families at the council, recently said the plans provided a “clear and balanced approach” to managing the authority’s youth service.

“[They propose] retaining key buildings in council ownership where direct delivery remains essential,” he said during a cabinet meeting last month.

“But we’re also ensuring we explore options like transferring other sites to trusted third-party providers who will continue to deliver youth services from those locations.”

“This is part of how we are reshaping how we deliver youth services.

“This is about modernising our approach, ensuring that money we spend delivers the maximum value for our young people.”

He also said in July that after an open expression of interest process, every site identified for transfer had at least two viable partner organisations.

Councillor Brown told Friday’s (August 8) meeting that retaining four centres under council ownership and “inviting” partners to run the remaining ones was the “only viable option to keep all centres operational”.

“The youth service will support the transition and continue to build relationships with organisations in each district,” he said.

The committee ultimately agreed not to refer the decision regarding youth centres back to cabinet members at the council.